And gee thanks...now I won't get that song out of my head the rest of the day, LOL!
Posted on 10/14/2009 7:35:03 AM PDT by Federalist Patriot
Here is video of CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta showing actor Matthew McConaughey what he calls a "new way" of doing CPR.
Gupta says new studies show that doing chest compressions only on a cardiac arrest patient is just as effective - if not better - than if mouth-to-mouth is also done. Gupta said you have "8-10 minutes of oxygenated blood" in your body anyway, and the key is to keep that blood moving. So, according to Gupta, it is better to not interrupt the chest compressions for anything while you wait for paramedics to arrive. He also said more people will be willing to help and get involved if they don't have to do mouth-to-mouth.
McConaughey demonstrates the procedure.
The American Heart Association website actually advocates using the compression-only method for bystanders who witness sudden cardiac arrest, particularly bystanders not trained in CPR, or who may have some training, but are not confident in their ability to do it. The AHA says trained medical personnel should still use the conventional method for CPR.
(Excerpt) Read more at freedomslighthouse.com ...
Thanks so much for your response, it really helped relieve some of my anxiety. I will have to check on AED units. We live out in the country, so even they are expensive, it would be worth it. I am sure his doctor would write him a prescription for one, they are already talking about putting him on disability for his heart/blood pressure issues and he is only 55 y/o. Heart problems run in his family, his Dad died at 45 y/o from a heart attack.
Well you won’t need a prescription, they are just products you can buy, they are pricey, but if its worth it to you, its worth it to you. Go google AED and you will find vendors etc.
I would also take a CPR course as well if you aren’t already certified, and I would recommend taking it from a practicing EMT if possible, rather than just a red cross type deal.
I don’t think it matters if you’re female to Matt.
The scene is safe.
Are you alright Sir or Madam?
Ask someone to call 9-11 and ask for an AED.
Listen for breathing for 7 seconds.
Give one breath.
Start chest compressions (30 at a time)
Then one breath.
Again continue compressions.
Till help arrives.
I think that is the current deal?
“according to Gupta, it is better to not interrupt the chest compressions for anything while you wait for paramedics to arrive.”
The Bee Gees can help, too:
“WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. doctors have found the Bee Gees 1977 disco anthem “Stayin’ Alive” provides an ideal beat to follow while performing chest compressions as part of CPR on a heart attack victim.
The American Heart Association calls for chest compressions to be given at a rate of 100 per minute in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). “Stayin’ Alive” almost perfectly matches that, with 103 beats per minute.
(snip)
In a small study headed by Dr. David Matlock of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, listening to “Stayin’ Alive” helped 15 doctors and medical students to perform chest compressions on dummies at the proper speed.
Five weeks after practicing with the music playing, they were asked to perform CPR again on dummies by keeping the song in their minds, and again they kept up a good pace.
‘The theme ‘Stayin’ Alive’ is very appropriate for the situation,” Matlock said in a telephone interview on Thursday. “Everybody’s heard it at some point in their life. People know the song and can keep it in their head.’”
I’ll drink to that.
You are right about the prescription, last time I checked pricing on these was prior to the FDA approval for home use without a prescription back in 2004. However, I may be able to get it classified as "medically necessary" so my insurance will pay for at least part of it if I go through his doctor, so that is probably the course I will take.
If your husband were in danger of sudden cardiac arrest I’m pretty sure that his doctor would want to implant a defibrillator. Discuss your concerns with his cardiologist. He is probably in less danger than you think. The important thing is that he’s getting treatment and being monitored.
And gee thanks...now I won't get that song out of my head the rest of the day, LOL!
I am all for changing cardiologists, he just had to have the wires removed from his sternum after two of them exploded in his chest about two weeks after the bypass and a 1" piece was floating around in his chest cavity. It took us a year to convince the cardiologist that something was wrong and that was after his primary care physician finally did an x-ray at our demand because the cardiologist wouldn't.
He has a rare inherited blood disease that causes his cholesterol to stay high which subsequently resulted in the triple bypass. They have him on Tricor, Lipitor, Niaspan and Welchol for that and Lisinopril and Metoprolol for blood pressure/heart rate, so it is pretty serious. Like I said, his Dad died at 45 from a heart attack due to this and hubby is 55 and is already to the point where he can't work a steady job, so we are basically on borrowed time if he doesn't get stressed.
“And gee thanks...now I won’t get that song out of my head the rest of the day, LOL!”
No worry. Replace it with this one: “IT’S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL” (Arrrrgh!)
Change cardiologists if you have no confidence in this one, and it sounds like you don’t. Ask your primary care doctor for a recommendation. Has your doctor tried a calcium channel blocker to control the blood pressure?
As far as the cholesterol goes, you may want to try contacting a teaching hospital or look for clinical trials.
They haven’t tried a channel blocker, I will mention that to his doctor and see what he says. I brought up clinical trials with hubby after he recently was laid off due to health related issues (we filed a complaint with the EEOC), but he said I was trying to donate his body to science before he is even dead, LOL! He was joking of course, but he is leery of such things even though I have a friend that does them all of the time with no adverse effects.
Just did a search and figured out why they don’t use a calcium channel blocker...he already had one kidney removed due to cancer 14 years ago, so there could be a risk of reoccurrence. Thanks anyway though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLQWPgQMHhQ
Well, if you gotta listen to it, you should at least laugh while you’re doing it...
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